I think part of the problem lies within the new "coaching" from Jimmy I and the rest of the crew. Maybe these contestants are getting too much help? It seemed like Adam (along with many others) found his song to sing and sang it exactly like he wanted without the likes of Jimmy Iovine convincing them that something else might sound better. I think the contestents this year are going to miss out on "their moment" if they can't be anything but themselves.
One another note, at or around the top 5 - 6, I'd love to see them do a song writer's week!

That's right. Adam was able to pick his song, ask for the kind of staging he wanted, worked with the vocal coaches and producers on the arrangement he wanted - and many times helped the others with their stuff as well according to them - so what we saw was largely his vision. These contestants are being coached into oblivion, professionally staged from here to China and they still sing off key all the time and are incapable of delivering something you'll remember two days after the show let alone two seasons later.

Although, to be fair, it's a mistake to expect them to deliver anything close to what Adam did on Idol. None of the contestants this season should even be aiming that high... that way lies bitter disappointment.

04-05-2011, 03:27 AM

Love_Me

Re: Adam Lambert - Season 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsFroggy

It was monumentally stupid at the time but in the real world where it actually counts, nobody cares that Adam - or Daughtry or JHud - didn't win some voting contest. Certainly record labels, producers, radio programmers, people around the world etc. don't give a damn. His music went to Top 10 in so many countries around the world where nobody watches Idol and nobody knows he was even on it. But man, I'm sure he would have liked that shiny trophy Kris Allen got... for his bathroom. :laugh

Oh I agree. Other then Carrie and Kelly the most successful contestants have not won the season they were on. It is almost a blessing in disguise.

04-05-2011, 04:34 PM

Babbred

Re: Adam Lambert - Season 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love_Me

Oh I agree. Other then Carrie and Kelly the most successful contestants have not won the season they were on. It is almost a blessing in disguise.

I have long thought that, too. The fact that many times a non-winner will do better than the winner is pretty much the elephant in the living room for AI. :riiight

04-05-2011, 05:32 PM

MsFroggy

Re: Adam Lambert - Season 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Babbred

I have long thought that, too. The fact that many times a non-winner will do better than the winner is pretty much the elephant in the living room for AI. :riiight

The reason for that is that the record companies, radio and the general public don't give a damn about upholding the winner of some voting contest - let's face it, that's all winning means on this show. Only in Idol watching fantasy land do people expect the real world is going to fall in line with their choice. Uhmm, no. The "real world" - all those entities I just mentioned - only care about who has star power, who can make them money, who can put a hit song on radio (Top 40 is where it's at, not the HAC graveyard that most Idol winners end up in) or who can make good, critically acclaimed music. This all, above and beyond having a killer voice. Adam is a shining example of this.

I emphasized star power because that's the hardest element of all. You either have it from the get go, or you don't. It can't be hammered together in the studio by Iovine and his crew. I can count on one hand the number of people out of AI who had star power. None of the ones this season have it, by the way.

04-05-2011, 08:14 PM

Babbred

Re: Adam Lambert - Season 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsFroggy

The reason for that is that the record companies, radio and the general public don't give a damn about upholding the winner of some voting contest - let's face it, that's all winning means on this show. Only in Idol watching fantasy land do people expect the real world is going to fall in line with their choice. Uhmm, no. The "real world" - all those entities I just mentioned - only care about who has star power, who can make them money, who can put a hit song on radio (Top 40 is where it's at, not the HAC graveyard that most Idol winners end up in) or who can make good, critically acclaimed music. This all, above and beyond having a killer voice. Adam is a shining example of this.

I'm sorry, but I don't know what the HAC is. :blush

Quote:

I emphasized star power because that's the hardest element of all. You either have it from the get go, or you don't. It can't be hammered together in the studio by Iovine and his crew. I can count on one hand the number of people out of AI who had star power. None of the ones this season have it, by the way.

What you say kind of reminds me of what I read in a biography of Elvis called Last Train to Memphis. After he recorded a song for his mother, the studio owner, Sam Phillips, recognized a good musical talent. He brought Elvis back in to play with some studio musicians. At first he just tried to shoehorn Elvis into doing the standards, but no luck. It all sounded blah. Turns out, though, that Elvis had been thinking for years about how he wanted to sing, playing around with the standards on his guitar. During a break in the session, Elvis launched into the blues classic "That's All Right Mama," but playing it his way, upbeat with "the power and honesty of the blues but the wildness of an all night party." Phillips knew right then that he didn't have a singer, he had a star, lightning in a bottle that just needed to be unleashed. The rest was history...:guitar:eek

[Note: the quote actually comes from the Sun Records website.]

04-06-2011, 07:39 AM

razorbacker

Re: Adam Lambert - Season 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Babbred

I'm sorry, but I don't know what the HAC is. :blush

What you say kind of reminds me of what I read in a biography of Elvis called Last Train to Memphis. After he recorded a song for his mother, the studio owner, Sam Phillips, recognized a good musical talent. He brought Elvis back in to play with some studio musicians. At first he just tried to shoehorn Elvis into doing the standards, but no luck. It all sounded blah. Turns out, though, that Elvis had been thinking for years about how he wanted to sing, playing around with the standards on his guitar. During a break in the session, Elvis launched into the blues classic "That's All Right Mama," but playing it his way, upbeat with "the power and honesty of the blues but the wildness of an all night party." Phillips knew right then that he didn't have a singer, he had a star, lightning in a bottle that just needed to be unleashed. The rest was history...:guitar:eek

[Note: the quote actually comes from the Sun Records website.]

Hot Adult Contemporary!

04-06-2011, 08:51 AM

razorbacker

Re: Adam Lambert - Season 8

Babbred,

Perhaps I should have added that the HAC Format is not carried on many stations. So, an artist could have a #1 song on that format & still not be heard by many listeners. A big HAC song might get enough spins to barely squeek into the Top 30 on the Pop Charts.

If you are interested in following this stuff, I'd like to point you to The USA Today Idol Blogs. On every Monday Brian Mansfield breaks down the Top 100 Idol Songs in terms of spins on a weekly basis. All the top songs & top Idol artists are there & you can see who is doing well & who is struggling.

Every week, Carrie, Kelly, Adam, Daughtry are at the top. They are, of course, on the bigger format stations. Kris Allen & David Cook are usually near the top when they have new stuff out. Crystal, David Archueletta & Lee have had most of their success on either Adult Contemporary (AC) or HAC, & as such are not as well represented on Brians listings.

Anyway, Brian at USA Today...IDOL CHATTER ... lot's of good info on all the Idols ever week. Wednesdays he gives us Album sales & Singles downloads totals. Check it out!

04-07-2011, 04:34 PM

Babbred

Re: Adam Lambert - Season 8

Thank you! :hiya

04-08-2011, 01:34 PM

MsFroggy

Re: Adam Lambert - Season 8

Adam was a presenter last night at the Logo NewNowNext Awards. The show will air Monday night on the Logo TV channel.